


Hello, Brother

by AllyDog57



Series: Worlds Collide [1]
Category: Chuck (TV), White Collar
Genre: Brothers, Catching Up, Post-Chuck Season 2, Post-White Collar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:00:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22470670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllyDog57/pseuds/AllyDog57
Summary: Nobody knew that Neal had a twin. Even Peter was oblivious. Bryce’s work was a secret, no one could know what he did or who he was related to, so Neal had to lie. It was the only thing he never told Peter.
Relationships: Neal Caffrey & Bryce Larkin
Series: Worlds Collide [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1616701
Comments: 11
Kudos: 91





	Hello, Brother

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little crossover fic I thought I'd write. I love Bryce and Neal.  
> The Series "Worlds Collide" is a little side project full of little adventures that Bryce and Neal have. There is no plot to it yet, but stay tuned for more stories!

Neal looks at the piece of paper in his hand, double-checking the address written on it. He had contacted Sarah Walker for it and had to explain in detail why he had to see Bryce. It took some persuading, but she finally told him.

Luckily Bryce lived in Rome and not some no-name country in Africa. Neal didn’t have to pull out his fake passport and visa, biting his lip in fear that it wasn’t good enough. He looked at the address again, comparing the note to the plaque on the house. It matched.

Neal got out of the car and took a breath. He hasn’t seen Bryce in years. Since he had left for the CIA his senior year of Stanford and Neal turned to bond foraging. They had talked over the phone multiple times before then, telling each other secrets that others never knew. They never mentioned each other’s secrets to anyone else, especially when that meant explaining that they were brothers.

Nobody knew that Neal had a twin. Even Peter was oblivious. Bryce’s work was a secret, no one could know what he did or who he was related to, so Neal had to lie. It was the only thing he never told Peter.

Even as kids, Bryce and Neal never recognized each other as brothers. Yes, they looked identical, but there were differences. Bryce liked to wear his hair long and shaggy while Neal kept his hair shorter. Bryce liked street clothes while Neal preferred button-ups and slacks.

Bryce was in Connecticut with their grandparents when their dad was arrested and Neal and all involved were put in Witness Protection. The judge suggested that Bryce stay in Connecticut with their grandparents for his own safety. So he did. They even changed his name from Bryce Bennett to Bryce Larkin, their grandmother’s maiden name.

They had visited. Bryce would come up from Connecticut to wherever Neal was living at the time, and Neal would go down to visit.

But then Bryce was recruited into the CIA and had to cut ties. Letters only, and no more calls confessing each other’s secrets. Bryce had left two numbers for emergencies only, in case Neal got into some trouble he couldn’t get out of. He explained that one was to him, and the other was a backup in case he couldn’t reach Bryce himself. Neal saw the underlying meaning  _ Only if I’m dead. _ Neal never called either number. Not even when he was arrested.

He took a breath and raised his hand. Then he knocked.

There was silence for a second, then Neal heard rustling behind the door.

“I’ve told you before, I don’t want to buy your…” Bryce stopped when he saw who exactly was standing on his front porch. He stared.

“Hello, brother,” Neal says, throwing him a classic smile. “How are you?”

Bryce looked well, judging by the way he kept himself. His hair was a bit unkempt, strands sticking up at odd angles and his t-shirt was a bit rumpled. His eyes were clear, a bit droopy, like he woke up from a nap, but otherwise he was fine. Not dead, like Neal thought he would be. Sarah told him that Bryce has faked his death before, multiple times. The last time he took a fatal bullet for his friend, Chuck. Sarah is the only one who knows he is alive.

“Neal,” Bryce blurts, still a bit stunned. “Sarah told me you’d drop by, but I didn’t think you would actually…” He steps out of the doorway and motions for Neal to come in.

Neal follows the hallway down to the living room, a small but elegant room nicely furnished. “Sit,” Bryce orders and Neal obeys. Bryce walks to the adjoining kitchen and opens the fridge. “Beer?” he calls.

“Uh, do you have any wine? Red?” Neal asks politely but feeling slightly bad.

Neal hears a  _ Yeah _ call back in response. After a few minutes and rustling, Bryce comes back with a bottle of beer and a glass of wine- no, a cheap plastic cup of wine. “I don’t have any wine glasses, sorry. But it’s a good wine. Made in the vineyards right outside of town.” He sits on the couch opposite of Neal and leans back, crossing one leg over the other. There was an awkward silence between them, none saying a word for a few heartbeats. 

“So… Sarah told me that Bryce Larkin is dead to the world,” Neal says, trying to start the conversation.

“Yeah. It was the only way to get out of the CIA without actually dying or being targeted for the rest of my life. That also means that I can’t talk to anybody from my past.” Bryce looks at Neal. “Except for maybe you. Nobody knew I had a brother after I moved to Stanford.”

Neal nods, the conversation stalling again. “I found Dad, you know,” he says, starting it up again.

Bryce starts. “You… found Dad?” He blinks blankly at Neal. “Is he… is he innocent?” Bryce looks at Neal, a pleading look on his face. 

Neal looks Bryce directly in the eyes and slowly shakes his head.

Bryce drops his head in his hands, rubbing his temples. “So Dad did do it,” he says, tone finalizing. They had both hoped that their father had been framed. “Tell me everything.  _ Everything _ .”

So Neal did.

They sat late into the night, Neal explaining what happened to their father, to Ellen. Bryce explained what happened with Chuck and Sarah, and why they both were supposed to be dead.

It was four in the morning when they were all caught up. Neal had been there close to ten hours, and they had gone through a bottle and a half of wine and seven beers total. Bryce looked at the mess of bottles and glasses on the coffee table and said, “Stay here a while. Calm down. You’ve got nothing planned. We have to be brothers for a while.”

Neal grins. “Yeah. I’ll stay. Just for a while. Then I have to get to Paris.”

“Why Paris?” Bryce asks.

“I’ve got a heist planned,” Neal chuckles as he gives a goofy grin. “Wanna join?”


End file.
